Cookies and Cream Muffins #MuffinMonday

It’s Monday so we are baking muffins again!  As we do.  Or, I should say, as I do.  Anyone out there baking with me?  Here’s a muffin I don’t think you are going to be able to resist.

Our ingredient this week is the classic Oreo, which made its debut in 1912 so they are the same age as my beloved grandfather (if he weren’t dead) which means they turned 100 last year.  Did you hear of any celebrations?  I certainly don’t remember any!  What I do know is if you are going to buy and eat Oreos, you might as well go all the way, so I bought the Double Stuff.  It’s a little known fact but in the United States, they are known as Double Stuf, because apparently Nabisco thinks Americans can’t spell or don’t care about spelling.  Or something.  In the United Kingdom (and Dubai) they are labeled Double Stuff.  My editor OCD is much happier here.  Call them what you will, they make a fine cookies and cream muffin.  They also make a fine Chocolate Chocolate Chip Oreo Muffin.

Ingredients
12 Double Stuff Oreos
2 cups or 250g all-purpose flour

3/4 cup or 170g granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup or 60ml canola or other light oil
2 eggs

3/4 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and grease your muffin pan or line it with paper liners.

Chop the Oreos roughly with a large knife and separate them into two piles of about two-thirds and one-third.  Just eyeball it, no need to measure.  The bigger pile will go into the batter. The smaller one will be sprinkled for topping before baking.

In a large bowl, mix together your flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

In a smaller bowl, whisk your eggs, whipping cream, oil and vanilla together.

Pour the liquids into the bowl of dry ingredients and fold them together until they are just mixed.  If there is still some flour showing, you've done it perfectly.

Fold in the bigger pile of Oreos bits.

Divide your batter between the cups in the prepared muffin pan.

Sprinkle the tops with the smaller pile of Oreos and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Tarka Dal or Curry Lentils

This tarka dal (or curry lentils) is a warm bowl of spicy comfort that is cheap but satisfyingly delicious.

Today Sunday Supper’s theme is budget dishes. In other words, delicious recipes that won’t break the bank. I considered giving you a recipe for my old college standby of tuna casserole with cream cheese (which sometimes didn’t even have tuna if the month was longer than my money) but I settled on something really tasty that we love to eat, even when money isn’t an issue. And that is when you know it’s good!

When we lived in Malaysia, we picked up the habit of eating dal and roti canai for breakfast since the school canteen served a tasty bowl and the little shop not far from our house was great on weekends. But there were many times when I would make my own dal long before that. From the time I got my first Madhur Jaffery cookbook and spice box, in fact, circa 1996-97, this recipe for spicy yellow lentils, cooked down until they become a sauce, has been a favorite. You can thin them with more water and call them soup. Or you can leave them thick and scoop them up with flatbread or serve over rice.

The original recipe doesn’t include potatoes or carrots or green beans, but coffee shops in Malaysia often add them so I do too. The vegetables make this spicy dish even more of a meal. And, best of all, dal is a great, cheap source of easily digestible protein and nutrients. Perfect for this week’s Sunday Supper! You can even make your own naan to go with. It’s easy!

Oh, and a quick word on the title: Dal means split so any split pea or bean is dal but it is also the name of the cooked dish. Tarka refers to the spices that are fried in a little oil and added at the end to season the dish. For more information on lentil varieties, have a look here. And for lentil nutrition, this is a good link.

Ingredients
1 cup or 225g moong dal or split mung beans
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium potato
1 medium carrot
Good handful green beans
1/3 teaspoon asafoetida (optional but good – I couldn’t find any!)
1 teaspoon whole cumin
1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
2 small red chilies plus more for garnish, if desired
Good handful curry leaves (optional but good)
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
Salt to taste

Method
Wash the lentils well in a big bowl of water, making sure that there aren’t any stones or hard bits of mud, and then drain and tip into a large pan. 

Pour in 26 oz or 750ml water. Bring to the boil, and use a slotted spoon to remove the grey-white scum that rises to the surface. As you can see, I missed this step so I skimmed after adding the turmeric. It's all good in the end.

Stir in the turmeric, and turn the stove to simmer. 

 

Skim scum now if you forgot to. 

Put on the lid, but leave it partially ajar, to prevent the pot from boiling over. Check it every once in a while and give it a stir. Add a little more water if necessary. My simmer is hotter than it should be so I did add some water part the way through to make sure the lentils didn’t go dry.

Meanwhile, cut the ends off of your green beans and then cut them into smaller lengths. Peel and chop your carrot and potato.

After about 20 minutes of lentil cooking time, add in the vegetables. Keep simmering for about another 20 minutes, as which point your lentils and vegetables will both be cooked.

If you want to use a couple of red chilies for garnish, slice them finely holding the stem end with a sharp knife and pop them in a glass of ice water. Ideally, they should curl, if you have cut the strands thin enough. Set aside till needed. 

Now on to the tarka for seasoning.

Slice your onion and your garlic very finely. 

 

Heat the oil and add the asafetida (if using), cumin, mustard seeds, whole chilies and curry leaves. And stir! 

When the mustard seeds start popping, which happens quite quickly, add the sliced onion and cook until golden.

Add in the garlic and stir quickly. You don’t want the garlic to burn because it turns bitter. 

Pour the mixture into the dal and give the whole thing a good stir. Add salt to taste and pop the lid on. 

 

Enjoy! As mentioned above, you can serve this over rice or with a flatbread. It is delicious, comforting and affordable!

Adapted from Tarka Dal from Madhur Jaffery

Have a look at all the wonderful budget dishes the #SundaySupper group have for you this week! We are going to eat well and cheaply for the next few weeks on these recipes! Our hosts this week are Lane from Supper for a Steal and Pam from Blueberries and Blessings. Thanks for hosting, ladies!

Starters, Soups, and Salads

• Lentil Soup {Linsensuppe} from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Gado-gado from The Urban Mrs.
• Ramping Up Instant Ramen from girlichef

Main

• Salmon Lasagna from Blueberries and Blessings
• Kadun Pika from The Foodie Army Wife
• Mushroom and Artichoke Quiche with Red Pepper Puree from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Pasta Carbonara from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• San Francisco Special Breakfast Burritos from Gourmet Drizzles
• Chicken Divan from Simply Gourmet
• Chicken and Brown Rice with Veggies and Mushrooms from Daily Dish Recipes
• The Cod Puffs War {Duelo de Buñuelos de Bacalao} from My Cute Bride
• From the Pantry Peanut Noodles from Supper for a Steal
• Pasta Puttanesca from Juanita’s Cocina
• Hawaiian Grilled Cheese from Home Cooking Memories
• Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas from I Run For Wine
• Browned Butter Pasta with Collards from Momma’s Meals
• Turkey and Acini Di Pepe Skillet from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Golden State Gourmet from Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Buffalo Chicken Dip Quesadillas from Chocolate Moosey
• Tonkatsu {Pork Cutlet} from Damn Delicious
• Kung Pao Tofu from Ninja Baking
• Roasted Honey Mustard Chicken from Mama’s Blissful Bites
• Four-Cheese Risotto with Turkey Italian Sausage from The Weekend Gourmet
• Chicken with Sauteed Asparagus and Lemons from The Lovely Pantry
• Salvage-Your-Vegetables Frittata from Daddy Knows Less

Sides

• English Baked Beans from Small Wallet, Big Appetite
• Southern-style Black-eyed Peas from Magnolia Days
• Classic Macaroni and Cheese from The Skinny Chick Can Bake!!!
• Baked Beans from What Smells So Good?
• Hearts of Palm Mix Rice from Basic N Delicious

Drinks and Desserts

• Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Frappe from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Portuguese Rice Pudding {Arroz Doce} from Family Foodie

Cherry Blueberry Cheesecake Bundt for #BundtaMonth

While I was in Houston for a week visiting family, I decided that it would be a good time to bake my Bundt for April’s BundtaMonth because 1. Time would be short when I got back to Dubai and 2. I had been invited over for dinner and 3.  I found this lovely Bundt pan in my cupboard.

As I might possibly have said to my BundtaMonth friends, you know you have too many baking pans when you forget you own something as pretty as that!   (Disclaimer:  I will completely deny even possibly saying that if anyone brings this to my husband’s attention.  Because: One can never have too many baking pans.  Am I right?)

Our BundtaMonth hosts, Lora and Anuradha decided that our theme this month is cherries!  Since they are frankly hard to find fresh at this time of the year in Houston, I decided to go with dried cherries and add in some fresh blueberries to join them.  This Bundt has three layers:  Cream cheese pound cake batter, followed by a cream cheese filling based on the cream cheese layer in this great recipe from fellow BundtaMonth member, Anita from Hungry Couple,  and then another layer of the pound cake batter.  Then, to top it all off, a drizzled cream cheese glaze.  I took it over to my little sister’s house for dinner and her youngest son fawned over it lovingly until it was time for supper.  Then they all had healthy (not healthy!) slices for dessert.  I tell you true:  Like baking pans, there is no such thing as too much cream cheese.  

Yes, it was already cut!  Because I had to take photos.  I gave the cut slices to my elderly neighbor
who was sick with bronchitis and needed love and sugar. 

Ingredients

Cake batter:

2 cups or 250g flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup or 225g unsalted butter (at room temperature)

6 ounce or 170g cream cheese (at room temperature)

2 cups or 450g sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla

Zest of a lemon

Cheesecake filling:

8 oz or 226g cream cheese (room temperature)

1 egg

1/4 cup or 55g sugar

1/4 cup or 30g flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup or 100g dried cherries plus a few extra for decoration

1/2 cup or 75g fresh blueberries plus a few extra for decoration

Glaze:

2 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup or 30g icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3-4 teaspoons milk

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your Bundt pan by spraying liberally with non-stick spray and then coating with a little flour.

The filling is very easy.  Add all the ingredients, except the cherries and blueberries, to your mixing bowl and beat until smooth and lump free.

Fold in your cherries and blueberries.  Cover with cling film and refrigerate until needed.

For the cake batter, in a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth.

Add the sugar, either a third at a time, beating well after each addition, or in a slow continuous stream as you are beating.

Continue beating on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 - 5 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Add the vanilla and lemon zest and beat until incorporated.

Add in half the flour mixture and beat again.

Add the rest of the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated.

Pour half the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Spoon on the cherry blueberry cream cheese filling and spread it around the pan.

Top with the remaining cream cheese batter.

Bake for about 55-65 minutes in your preheated oven or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan for at least 15- 20 minutes before trying to remove it.  It should start to pull away from the sides of the pan as it cools.

To remove it, place a wire rack upside down on the cake and invert the cake pan to release the cake.  Allow to cool completely before adding the glaze.

While your cake is cooling, chop your extra decoration cherries and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine your first three glaze ingredients and then add the milk, starting with just 1 teaspoon.

Continue mixing well and adding milk one teaspoon at a time until you reach drizzling thickness.  I ended up adding only 3 teaspoons to mine.

When your cake is completely cool, add the cream cheese glaze to a small baggie and cut the corner off.  Squeeze out the glaze slowly and drizzle it all over the cake.

Stud it with bits of cherry and whole blueberries to decorate.

Enjoy!

And check out my fellow bloggers beautiful cakes:

• Black Forest Mini Bundt Cakes by Kim at Cravings of a Lunatic 
• Chocolate Cherry Bundt Cake by Anuradha at Baker Street
• Cherry-filled Bundt Cake with Chocolate Cherry Drizzle by Heather at Hezzi D's Books and Cooks 
• Cherry Bundt Cake by Veronica at My Catholic Kitchen 
• Cherry Kirsch Bundt by Tara at Noshing With The Nolands 
• Cherry Pecan Bundt Cake by Renee at Magnolia Days 
• Chocolate Cherry Bundt Cake by Lora at Cake Duchess 
•  Chocolate Cherry Coke Cake by Jennie at The Messy Baker Blog 
•  Chocolate Cherry Dream by Kim at Ninja Baking 
•  Coconut Cherry Chip Bundt by Anne at From My Sweet Heart 
• Lemon Cherry Bundt Cake with Lemon Glaze by Anita at Hungry Couple 
• Mahlab Vanilla Bundt Cake by Laura at The Spiced Life 
• Spicy Cherry Yogurt Bundt Cake by Paula at Vintage Kitchen 
• White Chocolate Black Cherry Yogurt Bundt Cake by Karen at In the Kitchen With KP

If you'd like to add your cherry Bundt for April, here are the rules:

- Simple rule: Use any cherries (or any part of the cherry) – and bake us a Bundt for April
- Post it before April 30, 2013.
- Use the #BundtAMonth hashtag in your title. (For ex: title should read #BundtAMonth: Chocolate Cinnamon Bundt)
- Add your entry to the Linky tool below
- Link back to our announcement posts.

Follow Bundt-a-Month on Facebook where we feature all our gorgeous bundt cakes. Or head over to our Pinterest board for inspiration and choose from over 350 Bundt cake recipes.